A Victoria man who pleaded guilty to beating a puppy to death on New Year's Day has been handed a six-month jail term – one of the longest sentences in Canadian history for animal cruelty.
Brent Malcolm Connors received a six-month sentence for the attack plus another 30 days for possessing a controlled substance. His time behind bars was reduced by a month for time served in pre-trial custody. The Crown had only asked for three months.
The 24-year-old is also banned from owning or living with animals for a decade.
Connors was taking care of the three-month-old pitbull puppy named Bandit for someone else when it was viciously beaten in the Victoria hotel room he was living in.
Neighbours called authorities after hearing cries and yelps of pain in the hotel suite.
When police entered the suite it was covered in blood and feces, with the dog lying lifeless on the bed. Bandit suffered 10 broken ribs, smashed teeth and severe internal injuries. A necropsy revealed the animal had human bite marks on his belly.
It was rushed to an animal hospital but did not survive.
Witness Stephanie Barfoot told CTV News she could hear the dog screeching and growling "obviously in pain."
"You can hear him punch the dog and the dog scream. It was quite obvious what was going on in there," she said.
During court proceedings Connors said he didn't remember much of the incident and blamed his "explosive rage" on a combination of vodka and steroids.
In his decision, Judge Ernie Quantz ordered Connors to undergo drug and alcohol treatment during his two-year prohibition.
Andrew Theise, founder of the Facebook advocacy group "Justice for Bandit," called the sentence bittersweet.
"It's not a victory for our group but it's a victory for B.C. law," he told ctvbc.ca.
Theise and his group delivered a petition containing almost 4,000 signatures to the court asking for the maximum sentence against Connors – 16 months behind bars and a lifetime ban on owning animals.
Theise believes it is likely Connors will offend again.
"This guy is a menace to society," he said. "He's going to get out of jail and he's going to kill again."
Victoria SPCA Manager Penny Stone broke out in tears of joy when she heard the news. She says she's happy the courts are treating animal abuse cases more seriously.
"This wasn't just an accident. This was a heinous act. This was a horrible, brutal slaying of a defenseless puppy. And I think its time that we all stand up and say we're not going to stand for this anymore."
The SPCA is holding a memorial for Bandit at its Duncan shelter on Saturday.
